The light swallowed me whole. For what felt like an eternity, there was nothing but a blinding, searing brightness—a vast ocean of light that stretched in every direction. I couldn't move, couldn't think. I could only drift in that endless void, suspended between moments, as if time itself had stopped.
Then, slowly, the light began to fade.
Shapes emerged from the brilliance, faint and indistinct at first, but gradually solidifying into recognizable forms. My feet touched solid ground, though it felt different—softer, smoother than the cracked stone of the hall I had been standing in. My vision cleared, and I found myself standing in a place unlike anything I had ever seen.
Gone were the crumbling walls and broken floor. I was now in a grand chamber, the ceiling high above, adorned with shimmering constellations of glowing symbols like the one I had touched. The walls were made of polished obsidian, reflecting the eerie, otherworldly light that filled the space. In the center of the room was a massive, ornate pillar, etched with countless runes and sigils that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.
And standing beside that pillar was the figure.
This time, it was clearer, more defined. Its hooded cloak rippled as if caught in a breeze that I couldn't feel. Beneath the hood, I could just make out its face—pale, almost luminous skin, with eyes that burned like twin suns. There was something unsettling about those eyes, something ancient and powerful, but also... familiar.
"You've crossed the threshold," the figure said, its voice echoing through the vast chamber. "Welcome to the Nexus."
"The Nexus?" I repeated, my voice weak and shaky. "What is this place?"
"This," the figure gestured around the room, "is the heart of the Fractured Realm. A place that exists between worlds, between time and space. It is where the threads of reality converge, and where those chosen to shape fate are brought."
I took a step forward, my mind reeling. "Chosen? You keep saying that, but I don't understand. What have I been chosen for?"
The figure turned toward the pillar, its gaze locked on the swirling runes. "The fractures are growing. The calamities that once shattered this world are returning, stronger than before. Soon, the final calamity will come, and when it does, the world will break beyond repair."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "But... what does that have to do with me?"
"You are one of the few who can stop it," the figure said simply. "You have the power to mend the fractures, to prevent the final calamity. But to do so, you must awaken your true potential. The essence inside you must be fully realized."
Essence. That word again.
"I'm not a cultivator," I said, shaking my head. "I don't have any power."
The figure turned to face me fully, and for the first time, I could feel the full weight of its gaze. "You have always had power. You were born with it, though it has lain dormant. The time has come for you to awaken it."
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell the figure that it was wrong, that I was just a normal person—an ordinary man living an ordinary life. But the words died on my lips. Deep down, in a place I had never wanted to acknowledge, I knew the figure was right. I had always felt... different. As if I didn't quite belong in the world I lived in. As if I were meant for something else, something greater.
"What do I have to do?" I asked finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
The figure turned back to the pillar. "The essence inside you is tied to the fractures, to the calamities. To awaken it, you must face the truth of this world—the truth that has been hidden from you, from all of us, since the day the first fracture appeared."
The figure raised its hand, and the runes on the pillar flared brightly. The ground beneath me trembled, and the air around us seemed to warp and twist. Slowly, the pillar began to move, sinking into the ground. As it descended, a dark, gaping hole appeared in its place, a chasm that seemed to stretch endlessly into the earth.
"Descend," the figure said, its voice low and solemn. "Below lies the truth you seek. But be warned—what you find may change everything you know."
I hesitated, staring into the abyss. There was something... wrong about it, something that made my skin crawl and my heart race with fear. But at the same time, there was something else—a pull, a strange compulsion that made me want to move forward, to see what lay below.
The figure watched me in silence, its eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. It didn't say anything, but I could feel the weight of its expectations pressing down on me.
With a deep breath, I stepped forward.
The descent was slow, the darkness closing in around me as I moved deeper into the chasm. The air grew colder, thicker, and I could feel the weight of the earth pressing in from all sides. My footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, the sound unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence.
After what felt like hours, the tunnel opened up into a vast underground chamber. I stopped at the edge, my breath catching in my throat as I looked out over the expanse. The chamber was massive, larger than any structure I had ever seen, with towering stone pillars that disappeared into the darkness above. In the center of the chamber was a pool of liquid essence, glowing with a soft, pulsating light.
But it wasn't the size of the chamber or the glow of the essence that made my heart pound in my chest. It was what I saw beyond the pool.
There, carved into the stone walls, were massive murals—depictions of ancient battles, of cities crumbling beneath the weight of catastrophic forces. Figures wielding essence clashed in titanic struggles, their power tearing the very fabric of reality apart. And at the center of it all was a familiar symbol—the same one I had seen in the alley, the same one that had appeared in the hall above.
The fractures.
"These... these are the calamities," I whispered, my voice barely audible in the vast chamber.
"Yes," the figure said from behind me. "Each one, a moment when the world was broken."
I turned to face it, my mind spinning. "But what does this have to do with me?"
The figure stepped forward, its gaze locked on the murals. "Because you are tied to them. The essence inside you is the same essence that flows through these calamities. You are connected to their power—and to their destruction."
I felt a lump form in my throat. "And you want me to stop them."
The figure nodded. "If you do not, the final calamity will come, and the world will shatter beyond repair."
I stared at the murals, at the images of destruction and chaos. My whole life, I had felt like something was missing, like there was something I was meant to do but couldn't grasp. Now, I was standing at the edge of that purpose, staring into the heart of it. But the weight of the responsibility felt crushing, overwhelming.
"I don't know if I can do this," I admitted, my voice shaking.
The figure's gaze softened, and it placed a hand on my shoulder. "You are stronger than you know. You have already taken the first step. The rest will come in time."
I looked up at the figure, searching its glowing eyes for reassurance. But all I saw was the reflection of the glowing essence pool below, and the weight of the truth that lay ahead.
"I hope you're right," I whispered.
And with that, I stepped forward once more, toward the pool of essence, and toward the truth waiting to be unveiled.